The Mistake You're Making By Preparing Your Cobbler Ahead Of Time
Cobbler is a great dessert choice in any season because of its versatility. As Fine Dining Lovers outlines, a cobbler typically just involves some type of fruit layer and a biscuit-like topping — you can use just about any fruit you want, and while you can certainly keep things traditional, you can also spice up the topping with different mix-ins like toasted nuts (if you're not sure where to start, we have some great cobbler recipes to try).
Unlike desserts such as pie, cobbler is an incredibly easy, low-maintenance dessert to make. You don't have to worry about having a perfect crust — with cobbler, the more rustic the better. And once you have a rough recipe template to start with, you can use whichever fruits are in season for the most delectable outcome. According to Baker Bettie, you want to have a particular volume of fruit, sugar, and necessary thickening agents like cornstarch for the fruit base, as well as a go-to recipe for the topping. Then, you can adjust according to the type of fruit you decide to use.
While cobbler isn't particularly fussy, it does take a while to bake. If you're looking to speed up the process, you may be tempted to prepare it in advance so you're not spending all your time in the kitchen during a gathering. What you don't want to do, however, is make the one mistake that will yield less than desirable results.
Don't risk mushy cobbler
The appeal of a well-made cobbler is all about the contrast between the crisp golden brown topping and the soft, flavorful fruit base. However, as Southern Living warns, the problem with the latter component is that it has a ton of moisture — this means if you bake it in advance, by the time you serve it the topping will probably be incredibly soggy. You'll lose that contrast in textures and end up with a mushy cobbler. It may still taste good flavor-wise, but it just won't be the same.
Luckily, there's an easy solution. You can absolutely prepare the fruit base and topping in advance; you just want to hold off on actually combining the two together until the moment before they go into the oven. As Eating Expired explains, this will help prevent the topping from absorbing the fruit juices and becoming an unpleasant mush.
If you have these two elements for cobbler prepped and ready to go, you don't have to leave your guests to spend all that time in the kitchen peeling, chopping fruit, and incorporating the butter into the dry ingredients for the topping. You simply assemble it all and stick it in the oven to bake — it couldn't be easier. You may want to bake it for a few extra minutes if you're starting out with very cold ingredients, but the process is virtually the same as if you'd made it start to finish in one stretch.